Arizona

This past week my friend Isabel and I took a trip to Arizona. While we were there people constantly asked "why are you here?" after hearing we were from Manhattan. The response was hard--we had just graduated so we were kind of looking for a trip to get away from the city. Neither of us had seen much of the U.S., so we figured why not Arizona? Our first stop was Flagstaff, a college town that was always lively. We checked ourselves into the Weatherford Hotel. Founded in 1900, the hotel had been deemed haunted by many. Yes, this did freak us out a little bit, but no we didn't see any ghosts.

We spent the next three days in Flagstaff horseback riding, exploring the Grand Canyon, riding chairlifts, drinking coffee and eating some really good burgers.

Next up was Sedona. We stayed at the Hilton that was about a 15 minute drive from the main town. There we rode pink jeeps and woke up at 3:30 AM to ride a hot air balloon. Totally worth it in my opinion.

Arizona, thanks for treating us so well. We'll be back soon! Hope everyone is enjoying their summer! xo, Alden

The Final Year

I get weirdly emotional about senior year. I've always hated things coming to an end, so for me this is a really big one. I've been at my school for 13 years now, so to stop doing something that I have been consistently doing for so long is going to be hard. Sure, I'm excited about college and the new things to come, but there's always that fear that you won't meet as great people, or that you won't be able to adapt to new surroundings.
Nevertheless, senior year is also a time to reflect on the past, and as cheesy as it sounds, remember the good times. I feel like this is one of those moments where you really wonder where all the time has gone, so now is the time to really slow down and savor the time you have left.

Here are photographs I took of Isabel for her yearbook picture. We walked through Carl Schurz park, a cute little park by the river.

Too see these in better quality check out my flickr :)

“When you photograph people in color, you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in black and white, you photograph their souls!”

 

The quote "When you photograph people in color, you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph in black and white, you photograph their souls!" by Ted Grant inspired me to do this little project: portraits in all black and white. The idea of taking away all "distractions" of color has allowed me to observe more closely. When you photograph in black and white, the photo is stripped so you are left with just the raw, true nature of the person. You are forced to focus on the mannerisms, expressions and movement.

These are some photographs I took of my friend Isabel. To see the photos in higher quality, take a look at my flickr.

A Night in The City

In front of the Plaza.

 What Isabel is wearing: J Brand jeans, shirt by Eighty Six, Helmut Lang Jacket, J-Crew sandals, JW Hulme Bag.

 Madison Avenue.

NYC at around 9:15 PM.

A perfect New York City night involves roaming the streets and some good food. My friend Isabel and I did just that. For once the weather was great (we're slowly making the transition to fall) which allowed us to walk a good 20 blocks. Here are some of the photographs I took of Isabel.

Afternoon Light

My kitchen is home to some old wooden chairs that serve as great structures to cast marvelous shadows. Depending on which direction the light is coming from, intricate patterns are cast onto the floor and around the room. It is so interesting to see how a photographs composition changes after been sliced by light and shadows. Here are a few I took today after coming home to a kitchen that looked completely different than how I left it.

Thoughts and Silence

When I think of silence, this image automatically comes to mind. It was one of those incredibly  foggy days, so I took a little walk on the tiny beach. There was absolutely no one around, and the only movement was the waves sloshing gently against the pillars of the dock. These moments are so rare that when we experience them we forget how infrequently we take the time to stop, relax, and think with nothing else going on. It's times like these that I've learned to truly cherish and to not take these moments for granted-you will only have so many times when you have the chance to just be with yourself and your thoughts.

This was done as part of a Between Lenses bloghop by Of Trees and Hues and Tara Victoria.

16 Facts.

I'm not really sure how to go about doing this whole introduction thing so I figured I would just tell you all a few random things about myself.

1. I live in NYC (Manhattan specifically). I was born here and have been living here for almost 18 years now.

2. I am the most stressed out person I know. I seriously remember worrying about not washing my hands before snack in preschool and that has unfortunately kept with me as I've grown older.

3. I can't light matches. I just can't, I don't know why! It just never seems to work (I know, it's pathetic).

4. I would wear boyfriend jeans everyday if I could.

5. I have been an athlete my whole life (I played competitive soccer for 7 years then switched to squash).

6. I have this weird fear of getting lost in crowds.

7. When I was born I was a major screamer. According to my mother I was kicked out of the nursery in the hospital.

8. I cannot walk in high heels for my life.

9. When I was in middle school I had a bob that just kept getting cut shorter and shorter. It eventually became this asymmetrical thing-super short in the back and long in the front. I thought I belonged in some high fashion magazine, but I seriously could not pull it off.

10. I cannot make decisions. When I hang out with people they know not to ask me what we should do because I will just dance around the question.

11. I'm pretty sure everyone goes through this phase where they wish they were famous-When I was younger I thought I was the most amazing singer until I recorded myself and realized I sounded like the worst thing you could ever imagine. My singing career was short lived.

12. I love photography.

13. I have a love hate relationship with dresses. On the one hand I feel so freaking free in them and like I've done something productive with my day just by putting one on, but on the other hand there's the whole wind and bending over thing. (You know what I'm talking about).

14. I don't really know how to put on makeup. No one really ever showed me how so I usually just attempt to put on cover-up, blush, and mascara. When I'm feeling super ambitious I'll attempt some eyeliner but then they're uneven so I try to compensate with the other eye, and well, you know how this goes.

15. I love the sound of violins, I think it's the most beautiful thing in the world.

16. I am so amazed by people who have the ability to dance, and I envy you if you can.

(Photo by Reena Sarkar)